Shridhi Sai Sansthan Trust gives Rs. 500 crore interest free loan to Maha govt to irrigate the fields of Ahmed Nagar farmers

It seems that the Maharashtra government is allegedly in financial doldrums as it has to come to Shridhi Sai Baba Trust to seek a massive interest free loan of Rs. 500 crores out of the total deposit of 1600 crores to finance a huge irrigation project in one of its hydro power project that will benefit the farmers of 13 Talukas of Ahmed Nagar by way of irrigating their water parched agricultural fields thus coming to the rescue of the vast number of peasents of Ahmed Nagar district of Maharashtra.

According to the chairman of Sai Sewa Sansthan Trust, Suresh Havre, who happens to be associated with the BJP, this interest free financial support to the Maharashtra government would help the farmers of 13 Talukas’s of Ahmed Nagar district who were facing immence crunch of water for the agricultural fields since long.

A first instalment of Rs. 125 crores have already been released said Suresh Havre. It may be recalled that the Sai Sewa Sansthan Trust which is the richest trust in India amongst all the religious Trusts after Tirupati Balaji, has been financing various pro people welfare programmes n initiatives since long.

But there have been opposition to these moves of the trust as well. Those Sai Bhakts associated with Shridhi Temple affairs question : what’s the need of financing the state government to the tune of Rs. 500 crores for irrigation projects ? The government should devise ways an means to generate its own budget n funds to finance people friendly projects rather than eyeing on the collection of Sai Baba Shridhi Sansthan Trust.

They say: instead the trust should focus on using this money to construct hospitals, staying accomodation for the comfort of pilgrims coming from far off places, institutions n colleges n development of Shridhi etc.

If the Trust continues to offer loans to government and that too interest free, the day will come when the entire treasure of Shridhi Sansthan will become empty n there will be dearth of funds to even pay the salaries of its hundreds of employees n pujaries.

It may be recalled that that the Shridhi Sai Baba temple collected Rs.1009 crores from its grateful devotees during the last four years while the Tirupati Balaji Temple Trust in 2011 only earned Rs 1100 crores from.collections n donations with Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine collecting Rs. 500 crores in a year. Mumbai’s famous Sidhi Vinayak Temple collected 209 crores annually. The Shridhi Trust spent Rs. 540 crores on various philanthropy and charity works while Sidhi Vinayak spent 13% of its total collection.

Shridhi Sai Sansthan Trust gives Rs. 500 crore interest free loan to Maha govt to irrigate the fields of Ahmed Nagar farmers